Completing Your System
Now that you have the basics out of the way, it's time to flesh out
your new system.
Since you have a Serial ATA controller on the motherboard, it only
makes sense to use Serial ATA hard drives. I selected 2 Seagate 120
GB SATA drives to be used in a RAID configuration.
Next I selected the video card, the ASUS GeForce FX 5900 Ultra with
256 MB of RAM. Then I added a Toshiba DVD-RW drive, Windows XP Professional,
Logitech Cordless Access Duo Keyboard & Mouse, and a Altec Lansing
5.1 black subwoofer speaker system.
Notice that I didn't add a sound card because I find most new motherboards
have adequate sound chips. However, if you feel differently, feel
free to add in a sound card.
The last item I selected was an APC uninterruptible power supply (UPS)
because it would be foolish to buy a new system and not use an UPS
to protect it.
That leaves my new gaming rig with the following specs:
SYSTEM, AMD Athlon 64 - DDR-400 (PC-3200) Configurator $1867.35
AMD, Athlon 64 Processor 3200+
COOLER MASTER, Athlon 64 Coppermine Cooling Fan
ASUS, K8V-DELUXE, KT-800, RAID, DDR-400, 8X AGP, Audio, Gigabit LAN,
SATA, Retail
DDR-400, DDR-400, Qty 2 x 512Mb PC3200 DDR, 400MHz, Non-ECC (1Gb Total)
SEAGATE, 120.0 GB, 7200-RPM, Serial ATA, 8MB Cache
SEAGATE, 120.0 GB, 7200-RPM, Serial ATA, 8MB Cache
ASUS, V9950-ULTRA, FX-5900-ULTRA, 256MB, 8X AGP, DVI & TV-Out,
Retail
TOSHIBA, SD-R5112, 4X DVD-RW/R Writer, Bare Drive
ACO, Silver Warranty Package (3 Years Limited Parts, 3 Years Labor
Warranty)
MICROSOFT, Windows XP, Professional Edition, OEM
LOGITECH, Cordless Access Duo Keyboard & Mouse, Retail
ALTEC LANSING, ADA-745, 5.1 Black Subwoofer System, 5 Piece, Retail
APC, 500, Back-UPS, Retail
For comparison purposes, a similarly configured Dell Dimension 8300
Pentium 4 system would cost $2,612 compared to MG Electronics' $1867.35.
The Dell system price includes a 17" monitor, free software,
and 6 months of free dial up AOL, but does not include a UPC. The
Dell system also has a 1 year warranty.
Notice the configurator system includes a 3 year warranty. Keep that
in mind when you are comparing prices. Do you really want to spend
so much money on a new system and not have a good warranty?
Designing a Money Saving Gaming Computer
If you want a more reasonably priced gaming rig I would suggest the
following setup:
BAREBONE, AMD Athlon 64 Configurator $1364.72
AMD, Athlon 64 Processor 3000+
COOLER MASTER, Athlon 64 Coppermine Cooling Fan
ASUS, K8V-DELUXE, KT-800, RAID, DDR-400, 8X AGP, Audio, Gigabit LAN,
SATA, Retail
DDR-400, DDR-400, Qty 2 x 512Mb PC3200 DDR, 400MHz, Non-ECC (1Gb Total)
SEAGATE, 160.0 GB, 7200-RPM, Serial ATA, 8MB Cache
ATI, Radeon 9600XT, 128MB, 8X AGP, Dual Head, DVI & TV-Out
MITSUMI, 1.44Mb 3.5 Floppy Drive, OEM
TOSHIBA, SD-R5112, 4X DVD-RW/R Writer, Bare Drive
ACO, Silver Warranty Package (3 Years Limited Parts, 3 Years Labor
Warranty)
MICROSOFT, Windows XP, Professional Edition, OEM
LOGITECH, Cordless Access Duo Keyboard & Mouse, Retail
ALTEC LANSING, 251, 5.1 Black/Silver Subwoofer System, 5 Piece, Retail
APC, 500, Back-ups, Retail
For comparison purposes, a similarly configured Dell Dimension 8300
Pentium 4 system would cost $2,163 compared to MG Electronics' $1364.72
. The Dell system price includes a 17" monitor, free software,
and 6 months of free dial up AOL, but does not include a UPC. The
Dell system also has a 1 year warranty.
Notice the configurator system includes a 3 year warranty and a UPC.
Conclusion
I think at this point you can see that you save at least $600 designing
your own system. So not only can you have a fun time customizing your
own personal gaming computer, it makes financial sense too.
If you're the type of person that would enjoy designing a custom computer,
I suggest you give it a try on your next computer purchase.
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